June 16 – In the FCA Box
The FCA Occasional Paper number 17 on Access to Financial Services lets us see what much of our fees are being spent on. This 160 page tour of digital, financial crime, segmentation and ageing allows us a lesson on the intellectual property of our regulator. It looks easy living in the FCA box, with the […]
May 16 – Competitive Dancing
The FCA decision that the mortgage market needs further regulatory attention says a lot about the journey we are on. It is clear to all that following the crisis it is not yet a properly functioning market, but it appears that it is not anyone’s fault. Not the FCA, not PRA, not lenders, and with […]
May 16 – New Partners
As we see a swathe of new offerings coming to market from a range of new lenders, brokers are going to have to up their game to keep abreast of all the new offerings. In coming to market however, these lenders are having to make some difficult choices, both in terms of the types of […]
May 16 – Digital cometh
Any discussion on the digital revolution, must start with what impact technology and most importantly mobile and tablets will have on consumer behaviour. It is important to recognise that there are only three key components in most property transactions. There is the house itself, a customer and a lender. All else falls off the back […]
Apr 16 – Digging deeper on Debt and Advice
From discussions with our regulator it appears that they have a tangible concern over how well some intermediaries are dealing with customers who are undertaking debt consolidation. This will apply equally in relation to advice on both purchase and remortgage cases. It is expected that all transactions where there is any element of debt consolidation […]
Apr 16 – Milestones or Millstones
Mortgage advice is a crucial part of the financial landscape for many. Ensuring it is effective must be a core part of the work of the FCA. However the costs that it thinks the industry must shoulder is worrying. In 2009 when the bill for regulating intermediaries ticked over £10m most saw this more than […]
Apr 16 Automatic P2P Permission
We have been advised that a significant number of firms have received an email earlier this week from the FCA confirming that a permission to advise on peer-to-peer (P2P) agreements was automatically added on 6 April. This applies to firms which hold
Apr 16 Consumer buy to let registration
AMI has identified that there may be a potential problem over the activities that some firms have requested when making their application for the consumer buy to let (CBTL) permission.
Apr 16 – FCA Business Plan and Annual Fees Consultation 2016
The FCA have today (5 April) released their new business plan and budget including draft fees for the year 2016/17.
Mar 16 – Evidencing Income
AMI has been a long-term supporter of the principles set out in the Mortgage Market Review, which was fundamental in requiring income to be evidenced in all cases. This removed the concept of self-certification of income from the UK mortgage market place. We would not want to see a return to self-certification of income and […]
Mar 16 – All the unknowns
As it now looks like a base rate rise is pushed even further out, lenders will have some tough decisions to make as we progress through this year and into 2017. Sir Jon Cunliffe, Deputy Governor of the Bank of England has made a couple of speeches recently which go a long way to explaining […]
Mar 16 – Buy to let tax changes: guidance
Last year, the government announced two major tax changes which will affect buy to let property owners. From 1 April 2016, increased stamp duty land tax will be payable on purchases of additional residential properties.
